Wei Pingjun

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Wei Pingjun, Male, Han, from Qinyang, Henan, is a fifth-batch national representative bearer of Stilt Walking (Ⅲ-9). The tradition is documented in Qinyang, Henan. Within the regional tradition and school record of Stilt Walking in Qinyang, Henan: The Wannan high-carried fire sedan has a long history; it is said that as early as the Tang and Song dynasties the local residents already had the custom of stepping on stilts, carrying flower sedan chairs and making merry to welcome the New Year. It was later reworked by the Ming-dynasty music theorist Prince Zhu Zaiyu, who merged the two folk arts of stilt walking and carrying the flower sedan chair into one, forming a feat of skill; through its distinctive means of artistic expression it raised the humble status and image of the grassroots “sedan bearers”.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

He was born in March 1962 into a Han family in Qinyang City, Henan Province. In 1982 he learned stilt walking and fire-palanquin carrying under the artists Liu Fenglou and Zhang Shengming, and performed in the ranks as a principal palanquin bearer. He not only mastered superb performance skills but also dared to carry on and innovate, gradually raising the stilts from 0.8 metres to 1.5 metres in height, changing the support from the shoulders to the top of the head, and moving from a single forward-and-backward walk to processions that turn forward, backward, left and right. He actively takes part in various cultural exchange activities, enriching the performance forms and content of the high fire palanquin while preserving the authenticity of the item. For many years he has persisted in training new blood for the performance troupe, lending the item renewed vitality. Within the documented technical tradition of Stilt Walking in Qinyang, Henan: Stilt walking is also called “stilt yangge”. It is a folk dance with a long history, widely transmitted throughout the country, and is named for the fact that the performers mostly tread on wooden stilts with both feet. Stilt walking is generally performed in the form of a troupe, with participants numbering from a dozen or so to several dozen. They mostly portray figures from ancient myths or historical stories, their costumes mostly imitate the role costumes of Chinese opera, and the props commonly used in performance include fans, handkerchiefs, wooden sticks, sabres and spears and the like. Stilt walking has two performance forms, “stilt parade” and “field performance”; the latter is in turn divided into the “large field” and the “small field”. The “large field” is performed collectively by the troupe, dancing while moving through various formations and patterns; the “small field” is performed by two or three people, mostly a man-and-woman duet, sometimes dancing while singing. The wooden stilts used in different places range from 30 centimetres to 300 centimetres; according to performance style they can be divided into “civil stilts” and “martial stilts”, the civil stilts stressing twisting, treading and plot-driven performance, while the martial stilts stress displays of virtuosity. The high-carried fire sedan is a style of folk dance in Henan Province, transmitted in Wannan Village of Qinyang City. Its form is unique and it has exerted major influence within an area of five hundred li around it. The high-carried fire sedan is performed in a form that combines dancing with storytelling and singing, accompanied on the side by a guan pipe, suona, gongs and drums. During the performance, 16 people are divided into two teams which take turns stepping on five-chi stilts to carry the flower sedan chair forward, while the performer seated inside the chair talks and sings. Four to six people, stepping on six-chi stilts, spin the “auspicious umbrella” to lead the fire sedan forward; other members of the stilt team, stepping on stilts ranging from two chi to five chi, hold palace lanterns, gauze lanterns, auspicious umbrellas, chess-piece lanterns and “avoid and be silent” tablets, simulating scenes such as the progresses of an emperor or official and the marriage of ordinary people. The performance also incorporates material such as “gong-and-drum notation”, “awakening-the-world lyrics” and “principle-and-reason lyrics”. The high-carried fire sedan is generally performed at night on major festivals; the flower sedan chair of ordinary folk dance is changed into a fire sedan chair, the cloth sedan into a gauze sedan, and lighted candles are set into it, carrying the sense of booming prosperity and flourishing success. The entire performance is full of thrilling excitement and festive atmosphere, displaying distinctive local characteristics. The high-carried fire sedan is a feat of skill handed down through the family, with a long history. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "The reworking by Zhu Zaiyu": The Ming music theorist Zhu Zaiyu, Prince of Zheng, fused stilt walking with bridal-chair carrying into a single feat, elevating the lowly image of the chair bearers. "Sixteen bearers in two alternating shifts": Sixteen performers in two shifts take turns carrying the chair on five-foot stilts while the seated actor speaks and sings, the show combining dance with narration. "Four to six turning the auspicious umbrella on six-foot stilts": Four to six dancers on six-foot stilts spin the auspicious umbrella ahead of the chair, while others on stilts of two to five feet carry palace lamps, gauze lamps, lantern-chess lights and clearance placards. "The lanterns and placards of the procession": The ceremonial props that imitate an imperial or official progress or a village wedding, accompanied by pipe, suona and drums for a thrilling and festive atmosphere.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

He is a national representative bearer of Stilt Walking (High Fire Palanquin), a fifth-batch national intangible cultural heritage project.

04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier

05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage

National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.

06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography

1. Wei Pingjun · National Representative Bearer Archive